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Post by jamieholbrook on Aug 6, 2008 23:59:52 GMT -5
The gray sky outside of Hogwarts was pouring buckets of rain like it had just come out of a long, long drought. All of the afternoon's Herbology, Flying, and Care Of Magical Creatures classes had been canceled. Most of the students were either hurrying inside, or already comfortably there. However, a few still lingered outside- one of whom was Jamie Holbrook.
The boy's brown hair was soaked, for he hadn't put up a hood to hide from the rain. In fact, Jamie didn't seem to have a jacket with him at all. His Ravenclaw uniform was almost as wet as his school bag, blue tie hanging loose around his neck. Even among the chaos of the rain, he looked as happy as he could be, getting wetter by the moment as first years from his house were complaining next to the warm fire in the common room. The oddness didn't end there, either.
He definitely wasn't headed for the safety of indoors. Actually, it seemed the opposite- Jamie was walking along a well-worn footpath that led away from the castle. Where he could be going in this weather was anyone's guess. No outdoor classes, no quidditch game (not that Jamie would have attended anyway), it wasn't even a Hogsmeade day. Jamie himself didn't know where he was going.
He had some guesses, of course. Several times before, on previous walks in the rain- these happened frequently after all- he'd considered taking this path. The problem with that, though, was the fact that after meandering around on the lawns for a while, the path seemed to be headed for the lake. The lake was, due to certain illogical fears, a place that Jamie generally avoided. But today, he figured, was different. Times were changing, so shouldn't habits? Besides, he needed a longer walk than usual to gather his thoughts this time, and this seemed to be the perfect path.
He stopped walking near a tree, at the edge of the trail. He had to stash his bag somewhere now, before his books' ink bled everywhere, and where was better than under a tree? Slipping the bag off of his shoulder, he sat down beneath the tree, enjoying the sound of wet drops dripping off the ends of the branches. Leaning against the tree trunk, he decided maybe he'd wait it out for just a little. It wouldn't hurt- just some extra time to think, yet again.
His father's threats had grown more serious recently. Adrienna and Harper may have escaped the arranged marriages, but Jamie had no doubt that he'd be pulled into one soon enough. Besides, his father needn't worry over Jamie's siblings- they were perfect Defaeco members, with plenty of pride. Jamie, though... Jamie had always been the kink in the otherwise perfect china that was the Holbrook family. Jameson, his father had written, It is past time you developed more pride in your heritage. Because of your failure to do so, your mother, myself, and the parents of one Remi Hester have decided to join the pair of you in matrimony. Matrimony... it was the worst thing that could've happened. He had already known that Raleigh would eventually arrange him, but he hadn't expected it this soon. As for his spouse, he already despised her. Jamie had finally lost control, and he hated it.
God knew how much time Jamie was going to pass sitting on the damp leaves underneath that tree. But any trace of happiness that had accompanied him out to The Lawns was gone.
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Post by remi on Aug 7, 2008 0:24:56 GMT -5
Remi's hands were shaking with rage as she held the peice of paper. How dare they ruin what she had left of her life like this? How dare they treat her like a cow that's to be sold to the highest bidder? She reread the letter, looking futilely for some mistake she'd made. But it was no good, the contents were the same. It was fairly short, and direct:
Dearest Remi,
We hear that you are still mingling with your mudblood friends, despite our warnings. We have told you time and time again that if you do not abandon your rebellious attitude, we will intercede. We had hoped that your joining Defaeco would be enough, but unfortunately it was not. If anything, you have only grown more defiant, and this behavior will not be tolerated.
We fear that you will not marry in your family's or your own best interest, to a man of worthy bloodlines. To prevent this from happening, we have come to an agreement with the parents of Jameson Holbrook, and the two of you will be wed. We do so hope that this will encourage you to take more pride in your heritage.
All our love,
Mother and Father
They have the gall to say they love me after that, Remi thought in infuriated disbelief. Take more pride in her my heritage, marry in my own best interest, worthy bloodlines, what crap. I'd kill to be some muggle-born who didn't have to live with all this. Her fingers tightened on the paper, tearing through it. She stared at her exposed fingers for a moment, before gripping the top of the paper and tearing it straight down the middle, producing a satisfying ripping noise. She tore it a few more times, before tossing the mutilated pieces of paper into the fire. Wheeling, she stormed out the door, through the hallways, and out onto the grounds.
She didn't really know where she was going. All she knew was that she was following a path. It was cold and rainy, soaking the girl's hair and uniform in seconds, but she didn't particularly care. She hoped she would catch pnemonia and die, that would simplify things. She just kept storming down the path, her expression every bit as cold as the sky.
After a bit of walking, she arrived at a tree. There was a boy under it, probably seeking some sort of shelter, although why he would be here when he could be inside was beyond Remi. Of course, she was out here, but then, she needed to clear her thoughts. Shooting a glare at the other person-she really wasn't in the mood for any kind of company-she sat down on the ground, tilting her face up to feel the rain on her face. It felt good, even if it was freezing. That just made it better. She wished it would just wash everything away-her thoughts, the engagement, Defaeco, and her as well.
It would be so much easier that way.
[GAH. I apologize for the failness. xP]
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Post by jamieholbrook on Aug 7, 2008 14:04:52 GMT -5
[it isn't a fail. xD]
"Hello to you too." Jamie muttered angrily at the girl who had also sat down underneath a tree. Why she would've come back out from the castle in the pouring rain was her own business. He had his reasons, she had hers. But he said nothing more- he certainly didn't want to discuss those reasons with another person.
Still scowling, he took out a notebook from his backpack. He clicked his pen a couple of times- a nervous habit- before he could think of something to draw. The black ink traced first a circle, soon followed by 5 lines. They were quickly drawn, definitely not straight, but they would do fine. Pausing for a second, he nodded as he added a few scribbles on top of the circle.
There. The perfect self-portrait.
Jamie had always had tendencies towards doodling when he was either upset or bored. So it wasn't much of a surprise to him as he continued to scribble, unsure as to what he was doing, exactly. But it became clear soon enough, when he had to switch from black to red ink.
Of course, Jamie wasn't really serious about his plot. But, at the time, it seemed like a good idea. There was no better way to embarrass his parents and get out of this... marriage. With this suicide mission, he'd be able to kill two birds with one stone. Three, if you counted himself.
[THAT, my dear, is a fail. x.x]
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Post by remi on Aug 7, 2008 20:00:08 GMT -5
Remi closed her eyes. This wasn't helping; she couldn't forget her upcoming...marriage-ugh, she hated the word-even for a moment. How had a girl who had never planned to get married at all be engaged at sixteen? It didn't seem possible. Half of Remi thought-prayed-that she'd wake up from this nightmare soon. But the rest of her knew that wasn't happening.
She wanted to cut so bad. But she couldn't, not out here. Whoever the other person was, they'd probably get curious soon enough, if they didn't figure it out immediately, and then she'd have to stop. Be forced to stop by her parents. She could not let that happen. It was her last escape, the one thing she still controlled. Losing it now would kill her. Not that she planned on living long anyway.
She looked over at the other person, squinting. What was he doing? After a moment, she saw-he was drawing. She couldn't see what. Her curiosity was piqued by the red pen. It was too close to her own thoughts at the moment. He probably was doing something totally different, but she was tempted to ask. For a minute, her antisocial mood battled with her curiosity, and the curiosity won.
"What are you drawing?" she asked, working to keep the anger out of her voice. It's not him I'm mad at, she reminded herself. She wasn't totally successful. Her voice was tight, but at least she wasn't screaming or sobbing or anything like that. That was a victory, at least.
[GAH. SHORTNESS.]
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Post by jamieholbrook on Aug 7, 2008 20:56:25 GMT -5
[not that short. lmao. she is mad at him. she just doesn't know it.]
"Oh this?" Jamie grinned mischieviously, not looking up from his drawing. He was enjoying this mightily. Maybe he was being a little to enthusiastic for the content of his drawing. Maybe he was using a little too much of the red ink. Maybe he wasn't thinking straight. But that was all normal; This was what he did when life got frustrating.
"I'm plotting m-" He caught himself just in time. No one could know about this- even if he didn't actually go through with this. Jamie wasn't going to let anyone ruin the plan, or even just the moment. He ran a hand through his hair once, slumping a little, trying to seem casual. "I mean, I'm just... drawing." Yeah, sure.
He looked at the girl, studying her for the first time in the minutes they'd been sitting there. He knew her. Rather, he'd seen her about. She was in Jamie's year, so they had some classes together. Maybe she was in Defaeco, too. He didn't really know, due to the fact that he never payed attention to things he didn't care about. He just didn't remember her name...
He thought for a second about introducing himself. But, no, this was just a casual conversation. Jamie highly doubted anything would come of this. Besides, he didn't need another person missing him when he was gone.
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Post by remi on Aug 7, 2008 21:56:46 GMT -5
"Plotting what?" Remi asked, really curious now. Her imagination was really running wild now, creating all sorts of gruesome death scenes for herself now. She recognized the boy, barely. He wasn't in her house, but he was in her year. She didn't know his name, though. "You're using a lot of red ink," she observed. "What's all of it supposed to be?"
Should she introduce herself? That would be the polite thing to do, but she wasn't really sure she wanted to be friends or anything. They were just talking, after all. But still, if she didn't kill herself, it would be nice to have another friend. Huh. Remi was a social person, and the prospect of a new friend was appealing. She looked at the drawing again while she thought. She could see it was stick people, but that was about it. Being stick people, they weren't exactly detailed, and she couldn't figure out what the stick people were doing with all that red ink.
Okay, she was going to have to introduce herself. It was polite, and despite her ongoing hatred of doing anything that her parents wanted, she'd been raised to be a polite girl. And he seemed nice enough. "I'm Remi. Who are you?" she said.
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Post by jamieholbrook on Aug 7, 2008 22:19:14 GMT -5
"Did I say plot?" Jamie said, attempting to look innocent by widening his eyes. Of course, if he kept it up much longer, he'd just burst out laughing. So there really was no point in lying. He sighed, clicking his pen a couple of times, yet again, before answering. "I'm not really sure." It was half-true. He wasn't sure exactly where the plot was going.
He squirmed a little. Even with leaves to cushion your ass, sitting under a tree wasn't that comfortable. So he gave up on that. With a plop, he set his bag down and sat down on top of it. It was only a little more comfortable, mostly because of the hard textbooks within, and the fact that he could know see over the girl's head.
Any sense of friendliness that there had been between the two disappeared with the girl's introduction. His eyes narrowed. "Remi?" He said, quietly. Not good. He only spoke truly quietly when he was angry. "Remi Hester?"
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Post by remi on Aug 7, 2008 22:41:47 GMT -5
"How did you-Oh my God," Remi said, her eyes narrowing. Her hands tightened reflexively on the grass, tearing out handfuls of it. She didn't notice; she was too busy glaring at the boy. They're previous conversation was forgotten. "You're Jameson Holbrook, aren't you?" she said, her voice cold.
Of all the people to sit down near and chat with, she'd picked him. Of course. And she'd even convinced herself that she wasn't mad at him. Well, that sure as hell wasn't true. She could kill him. She slid away from him, rising up onto her knees. She didn't particularly like the fact that he looked so much taller than her on his bag.
"Great." she snarled sarcastically, tearing up more grass in the process. "Just great. Well, it's lovely to meet you." Her fiancee. She wanted to puke just thinking the word. Well, that and laugh hysterically for thinking she wasn't mad at him.
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Post by jamieholbrook on Aug 7, 2008 22:53:24 GMT -5
"Oh, don't worry. The emotion is shared." Jamie said softly, angrily, sneering. He hated that, how the whole conversation had changed. It had gone rather nicely at first, actually, despite his habit of scaring people off. But now... ugh. He couldn't hold a civil conversation with this girl. His 'fiancee'.
He snapped his notebook shut. She- Remi, whatever, it might as well have been The Devil- of all people, did not need to see what was on that page. He sure as hell didn't want her to. He couldn't focus on that anymore, anyway, trying instead not to lose his temper.
Jamie was a calm person. There was no way he should be acting like this. It just wasn't something he did on a regular basis. But this girl, and her parents, and his own so-called-parents, had had a part in completely destroying his goal. To escape Pureblood pride. Don't ask him to stay calm in her presence.
"It's Jamie, anyway." He hissed, looking away from Remi. This was not supposed to happen.
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Post by remi on Aug 7, 2008 23:06:28 GMT -5
"I'm glad, that just makes this that much easier," she hissed back. If she really thought about it, she'd realize that he probably didn't have anything to do with their current situation, and he might not even be an arrogant little pureblood brat. But she didn't think about it. She focused on tearing up the grass.
She didn't even pay attention as he slammed the notebook shut. The sound barely registered to her. She didn't care anymore what was in the damned thing. It might as well be what he wanted to do to her. She probably would have been drawing bloody scenes involving him if she'd brought anything to draw with. Remi wasn't a calm person to start with, and adding him to her current mood was disastrous.
"Forgive me if I don't entirely feel like using that, Jameson," she spat, working to keep her hands from flying to her wand. She'd love to curse the hell out of him-she couldn't marry him if he was a bug or some such thing-but she was pretty sure she'd get expelled if she did that. And, despite her hate of everything having to do with magic, she might need her wand if she killed herself. Which she probably was going to do.
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Post by jamieholbrook on Aug 7, 2008 23:15:18 GMT -5
"I hope so," Jamie said, scowling, "Because marrying you is going to be the hardest thing I'll ever do." Ouch. This was getting nasty. Jamie in a bad mood wasn't something you came across often, but when you did, it wasn't a good thing. Of course, these moods were happening more and more often these days.
He was half tempted to shove his notebook back into his bag and leave. The first problem with that plan was that it was still raining. The second? Stubborn Jamie was not going to be the first one to walk away. That would be like handing her a goal in a game of Quidditch. He hated the game, but he wouldn't lose if he could help it.
"No, excuse me for not calling you your real name, bitch." Okay, he was really pushing it. This wasn't something that happened. This wasn't something he wanted to happen. This wasn't something, though, that he could stop from happening.
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Post by remi on Aug 7, 2008 23:25:37 GMT -5
"Likewise," Remi retorted, her face twisted into a grimace. "I'm not sure I'll survive." Remi had had her share of moods, but this was possibly the worst one she'd ever been in. But what did you expect when she went out in a fury and ran into the very person who was part of the cause? The answer is exactly that-a really bad mood.
Remi wasn't going to leave. Even if it'd been perfect weather, she would've stayed to fight it out. She hated losing, and she would not back down like a coward. Part of the reason she was in this mess, but old habits die hard. Really hard. And she wasn't exactly trying that hard to let go of this one.
"Oh, sorry, what did I say? I meant bastard," she growled. She didn't care about what she said at this point. Whatever she said, he deserved it. Stupid, foul little Defaeco wretch. She was tempted to kill him, she really was. And as angry as Remi had gotten before, she'd never gotten the urge to kill.
This was not going to go well at this rate.
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Post by jamieholbrook on Aug 7, 2008 23:33:23 GMT -5
"Oh, I don't plan on being there to have the chance." Jamie growled. Ugh. He hated it when he found someone with the same sort of insults as him. He hated insults and arguing in the first place. But he hated it more when he couldn't win.
Neither of them were about to leave, this was plain. Neither of them would move from under that tree unless they won this argument. What it was about, Jamie had forgotten. It seemed to have just turned into an onslaught of insults. Which was fine- he was always saving up insults. For people like his parents. For people like her.
"Completely void, that one." Jamie snorted. Yes, he was a smartass. No, he didn't care right now. "I do have a father. Rather, I did. Orphan would've been a better choice of words." He'd calmed down a little, or so it seemed. He hadn't thrown an insult back at Remi. Than again, it might've been just because he'd forgotten to.
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Post by remi on Aug 7, 2008 23:53:37 GMT -5
"That's good, maybe I'll survive long enough to murder my parents for this," she snapped, completely incensed. She hated it when they were good at arguing. She was in the mood to completely crush him, but that wasn't going to happen. Damn, she just had to get the arranged spouse who could throw around insults with the best of them.
Remi couldn't even remember what they were arguing about anymore-or rather, insulting each other about. Who had even started it? She'd prefer to think that it was him, but it could just as easily have been her. It usually was her. But it didn't seem to matter anymore.
"Oh? Then how about motherfucking little shit, does that work?" she snarled. She was going pretty far here, for having had one-pleasant-conversation with him. But she was mad, and she was irrational when she was mad. She laughed derisively. "And I sincerely doubt that your an orphan; since our parents just arranged us."
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Post by jamieholbrook on Aug 8, 2008 0:13:12 GMT -5
"Ah, then you'll end up in Azkaban and I'll no longer have to worry about my own wellbeing." Jamie said, laughing a little cruelly. "Great plan." Not that his own had been much better. But still, it had been better, and that was what mattered. Because that meant he won.
They weren't finding a very mature way to deal with their situation. Beyond their distaste for eachother, neither of them knew much about the other person. Maybe if they'd each calm down, speak rationally, they'd realize that it was more than the insults they had in common.
But instead, Jamie vouched to keep arguing like this. He hated this girl, that much he knew. There was no way that he could ever love her. No one ever asked him if he would, and his answer was no. Then again, no one cared whether they loved each other or hated eachother. They just wanted to keep the lines pure.
"Well, if I was a motherfucker, you'd probably know by now. As far as I know, you're still an only child." He said, wicked grin in place on his face. It didn't really fit well there, but there it was. "And the only ass that would be big enough to shit out one the size of me is your own. And as for those people. They're not parents. I'd prefer to call them the people who birthed me. Not parents."
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